Yesterday was BEYOND horrible. We were supposed to pick up a load at the shipper at 11 am. We were already late when the dispatcher sends a message telling us that we need to go to the ATS shop/yard in Baltimore, MD to pick up more equipment from another trailer for the load. The customer said they HAD to have a minimum of 85 pads for the load.
We go to the yard, but before we get to the yard we have to cross this incredibly high bridge crossing the ocean – it’s probably 3 miles long. Mind you, the wind was gusting at 45-50 mph!! So, we pray all the way across, and live to tell about it. (Thank you, Jesus!)
We get to the shop and found 5 pads – 80 short from what the shipper said we had to have. We tell Neil, who sends us back south (toward the shipper) and yup we had to cross that bridge again…..or not. We get there and I happened to notice that there is a sign posted not allowing empty box trailers across because of the winds. We are turned around. So, we get directions to get to I-95 by other means and we are on our way. But not before a fight at the toll booth with the toll lady that tells us we still have to pay both ways in order to be able to leave! This is outrageous! We have to pay not once, but twice to NOT use their bridge!
So we are finally “allowed” to get by without paying this time – but it won’t happen again….well, anyhoo, ok we are going through town on streets we don’t fit on to get to the tunnel to go under the ocean instead of over it on the bridge – and the tunnel is just as long as the bridge….yikes! So, we go through it and that costs us another small fortune. We are now going south on I-95 trucking along in rush hour traffic coming out of Baltimore and we pull on the side of the road to figure out where we are going to get the pads at and then Neil calls. The place we are going to is now closed. Oh, joy to the world! NOW WHAT?! So then he finds another place to get the pads – right back where we started on the side of the bridge we couldn’t cross!! UGH! So, I re-run the GPS with the new address and it tells us to take the tunnel – uh huh, cuz we couldn’t take the bridge, but unbeknownst to US, there are TWO fricken tunnels! We end up on the wrong one, but we didn’t find that tidbit of info out til AFTER we paid our toll (AGAIN) and then waived over by the state police in their little tiny inspection bay. WE were like WTF? He tells us our trailer is too wide: 96’ max not 102’. Oh for crying out LOUD! Then the officer was sweet enough to give us a level 1 inspection. For any of you who know how the trucking business works – this is so not good! WE were looking at a $1,500.00 fine, and that was if….IF he didn’t find anything ELSE wrong! Thankfully, he didn’t and only gave us a warning. He told my b/f he liked our dog. J Way to go LiLo!!
Ok, so at this juncture, we are completely frazzled. We get redirected to I-95 Northbound to go get the stinking pads. Neil has no idea this is all going on and he’s calling and calling and calling. He then sends a message on the QC telling us to go to a different place to get pads off one of our trailers. Ok, we are already headed that way….no big deal.
..::Or so we thought::..
WE finally get there, and we are refused to be allowed to go in and get OUR Company’s equipment!! The nasty guard at the gate says we have to have an appointment….WITH WHO? The trailer?? Good GRIEF! We call Neil – that is we tried to. The phone system is down. We send a message to Neil on the QC – that’s not working….OMG! So, now we decide to hell with it, our log book for the day is nearly gone. We have just enough time to get to the shipper. While en-route, a message pops from Neil that we don’t have to go to the other location, just go to the shipper. (Geeze! Thanks for telling us BEFORE we got there! A little too late for that now, don’t ya think?) Another driver will be there tomorrow and he has enough pads for himself and us. Well, now isn’t that nice? Ok, so we go to the shipper – being VERY mindful to make sure we take the RIGHT tunnel this time – once again paying the tunnel toll! All in all, yesterday cost us $30.00 in tolls, and 318 bogus miles going absolutely nowhere and for nothing!!!! (Might I remind you that the price of fuel out here is $3.679 a gallon?!) Troy is so pleased about it he could SPIT! On our way to the shipper now, we are both ravenously hungry; I am eating Chex mix and tossing the pretzels out the window. Troy looks at me weird – which is not unusual – and I tell him I am marking our way back in case we get lost. We have a hound dog – she can follow the pretzels! Ha ha! We get to the shipper, finish the paperwork, eat din din and go nighty night.
Bright and early at the butt crack of dawn (they are an hour ahead of us) we get up to deal with getting the additional pads from the other driver. Maybe. Turns out NO ONE told him another driver was driving all over God’s green earth looking for pads and would be stealing some from him the following morning. And apparently his Momma never taught him how to share, cuz he threw a conniption about it.
At this point Troy is like a Tasmanian Devil yelling and screaming about needing pads, “I need pads!” (Makes me glad I don’t get my period anymore – holy cow!) Then they work it out and they split the pads and we all get our load on around noon – 24 hours + later than schedule.
Anyone who wants to tell me that driving truck is an easy job has never witnessed my boyfriend parallel park this big pig! (Yes, he does this and quite nicely too I must say! He can’t do it with my mini-van, but hey….everyone’s got some talents!)
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